The culinary culture of Nepal is very dynamic and wholesome. However, it needs to be protected, preserved, and promoted at the same time. The very idea is embraced by the Raithaane restaurant team in collaboration with Hyatt Place Kathmandu.

Nepali Traditional food culture is very diverse respectively in different regions, castes, and cultures. Unfortunately, we don’t find authentic food dishes everywhere these days. A valley has become a junction for many international and national individuals to come together. Raithaane team came up with the idea of preserving those traditional dishes and making them well-known among everyone. The collaboration of Raithaane with the Hyatt place Kathmandu is a remarkable initiative to bring the richness of traditional dishes from all around Nepal to the spot.  
 

Batuk Chukauni:

Batuk and Chukauni, are one of the best combos! Chukauni is a yogurt-based potato salad that is believed to have originated in Palpa, a hilly district in the western region. Batuk is the cultural food of the Magar community. A ring-shaped deep-fried patty of black lentil paste makes it crispy and full of flavors alongside Chukauni. The sour and fresh taste from Chukauni and the crispy spicy taste from Batuk complements each other so well. 

Batuk Recipe:

Ingredients:

½ cup of black lentil

2 tablespoons ginger paste

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups vegetable oil, preferably mustard oil

Method:

  • Massage the soaked lentils with your hands to separate the outer black cover. Wash several times with water to remove it, not necessarily to remove them completely. Drain out the water.
  • Grind the lentil into a coarse paste. A slightly coarse paste gives the Batuk a fluffy texture.
  • Add all the ingredients and mix them well with the lentil in a big bowl. The mixture needs to hold together; add a couple of tbsp. water if required.
  • Heat about two cups of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat.
  • Moisten your hands with water to avoid sticking, take a small handful of the mixture, and make a small doughnut-shaped patty.
  • Fry until golden brown on each side and take it out of the oil with a spoon.

 

Chukauni Recipe:

5-6 medium-sized potatoes

1 ½ cups sour yogurt

1 small red onion

2-3 green chilies

1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder

A few stalks of coriander leaves

Salt per taste

1 ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2-4 dry red chilies

2 tablespoons mustard oil or veg-oil

  • Boil the potatoes until cooked. Peel off the skins, cut or break them into bite-sized pieces, and put them in a bowl.
  • Add the yogurt to the potatoes. Finely chop the onion, green chilies, salt, roasted cumin powder, and coriander leaves, and add to the bowl.
  • To temper the spices, heat two tbsp. of mustard oil in a small pan. Fry the fenugreek seeds, dry red chilies, and turmeric powder.
  • Turn off the heat and immediately pour the mixture over the potatoes. Mix all the ingredients well and the Chukauni is ready.

     

Chamre and Yangben Phaksa:

We love rice! We love meat! We love Chamre and Yangben Phaksa! This dish took me back to days when my father had to cook it for some reason. Quick, easy, and tasty. A slightly chewy and aromatic flavor, the bright yellow (happy) color from the Chamre while Yangben Phaksa gives an earthy flavor, come together really well. The Phaksa do resonate with the Rai and Limbu food cultures.

Chamre recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups rice

One tsp. of turmeric powder

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. minced ginger

3-4 tbsp. ghee or mustard oil

Hot water

Method:

  • Soak the rice for 15-20 minutes and drain the water.
  • Heat the ghee or mustard oil over medium heat in a pan,
  • Add the cumin, fenugreek seeds, minced ginger, and turmeric powder to the heated ghee or mustard oil.
  • Add the soaked rice and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes. Add some salt and pour in a cup of hot water.
  • Cook with the lid on until the rice absorbs all the moisture.
  • Add more hot water and stir until the rice is cooked, which takes around 25-30 minutes and the chamre is ready.

     

Yangben Phaksa Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 kg pork meat, bone, and skin with fat

A handful of Yangben, pre-processed and dried

1 cup pig blood, preferably fresh

5-6 garlic cloves

1 thumb-sized ginger

1 onion

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. coriander seeds

2-3 fresh or dried red chilies

1-2 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Salt per taste

Method:

  • Grind the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and chilies together to make a paste.
  • Place the Yangben in a large bowl and soak it with a cup of hot water for about 5 minutes. Squeeze the water out of the Yangben.
  • Add the pig blood, half of the spice paste, and a little salt to mix, later it will be added to the pork curry.
  • Heat about 1-2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Add turmeric powder and pork meat to fry for around 15 minutes until some of the fat melts and the meat turns light brown.
  • Add the finely chopped onion, the remaining spice paste, and salt. Cook until the onion and spice paste turn light brown and the raw smell disappears. 
  • Finally, add the Yangben-blood-spice mixture. Cook for another 12-15 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Yangebn Phaska is now ready to be eaten.

 

Kanchemba:

Kanchemba is a typical Thakali snack made from Buckwheat flour and served with Timur chhop. Frying in ghee imparts an aromatic buttery flavor and a crispy texture. I am not a very big fan of Dhido, but this fried dhido was impressive. Even though it tastes kind of bland, the Timur chop served alongside gives an interesting powerful flavor to it.

Kanchemba Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat flour

1 cup water

2 cups ghee or vegetable oil

2 tbsp Timur chop

Salt per taste

Method:

  • First make dhido by cooking buckwheat flour in boiling water.
  • Let it cook for a couple of minutes so that it can be comfortably molded by hand.
  • Rub some vegetable oil on your palm. Take a marble-size portion of dhido and roll it between the palms to give a finger shape. This has to be done quickly as the dhido will get firm when it cools.
  • In a frying pan, heat the ghee or vegetable oil over medium heat. Fry the buckwheat finger for about 5-6 minutes until light brown and crispy. Serve hot with Timur chop.
     

Rikikur:

Rikikur is a traditional potato pancake or roti served with nak (female yak) butter and achaar. In the Sherpa language, Riki means potato and Kur means bread or roti. It looks very plain and healthy. The sight of melting butter and achaar over the plain roti seems intriguing. The Nak butter brings local Himalayan energy while eating.

Rikikur Recipe

Ingredients:

8-10 medium-sized potatoes

3-4 tbsp. buckwheat flour

5-6 tbsp Nak or regular butter

For sauce,

½ cup Serkam, alternatively thick sour yogurt

2 stalks of spring onions

1-2 fresh green chilies

Salt per taste

Method:

  • Peel the potatoes, wash, and finely grate them. Put the grated potatoes in a bowl, and add 3-4 tbsp of buckwheat flour for binding. Add water to make a thick batter.
  • Grease the pan with butter over medium heat. Put two spatulas of the batter and spread evenly using a spatula, giving it a thin round shape. Dip the spatula in the water a couple of times to avoid sticking while spreading the batter.
  • Cook for about 4-5 minutes until lightly brown on each side.
  • Serve the Rikikur immediately with a tbsp. of butter and serkam sauce.
     

Phalgi:

Best for winter! Winter is around the corner so trying this recipe at home perhaps will be a good idea. The maize used in the dish is the highlight of the dish. Typically, around the end of summer, when the maize is still in the milk stage (unripe and sweet), they are harvested, boiled, or steamed, then dried for a few days to preserve for winter. We were served the stew in a very cute bowl. The aroma of the dried meat and radish overpowered the stew, giving it a traditional flavor. I loved it!

Phalgi Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup processed Phalgi Makai

1 cup butter beans

400-500 grams of meat or 150 grams of dried meat

1 medium-sized Radish

3-4 potatoes

1 thumb-size ginger

5-6 garlic cloves

2-3 green chilies

1 tsp. red chili powder

½ tsp. Sichuan pepper

1 tsp. turmeric powder

2-3 tbsp. oil

2-3 spring stalks stalk

Salt per taste

Method:

  • Soak processed Phalgi Makai and beans separately for at least 4-6 hours or overnight. Save the soaked water to be added to the soup later.
  • In a pressure cooker, add the soaked Makai and beans, two cups of water, and cook over medium heat for about 3-4 whistles.
  • If adding dried meat, soak it first in hot water for about 15 minutes and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
  • In a pot, heat 2-3 tbsp. of oil and fry the garlic cloves, and ginger, and stir together. Add turmeric powder and chopped bone-in meat. Cook the meat for about 10-12 minutes (3-4 minutes if using dried meat) with occasional stirs until lightly brown.
  • Add the cooked Phalgi Makai and beans, salt, and 2-3 cups of water in which Phalgi Makai was soaked.
  • Once the stew starts to boil, add sliced potatoes and radish. Sprinkle some chili powder and Sichuan powder. Let it simmer over low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the meat and vegetables are cooked.
  • Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped spring onions and Sichuan powder. The Phalgi is ready to be eaten.
     

Buckwheat Jaggery cookies

The wholesome traditional lunch with Raithaane’s idea of dessert couldn’t be any better. The Buckwheat Jaggery cookie already looked appealing served in the little jar. If you close your eyes and eat the cookie, I am sure you cannot tell if it’s buckwheat flour or a regular one. By that, I mean you get to eat delicious yet healthy nutritious cookies! The Jaggery makes the cookie sweet but not too overpoweringly sweet and the Caraway seeds add crunch to it. It is a must-try and popular one.
 

Raithaane Pie

The next one was a Raaithaane Pie. This creation is just amazing. They use Tsampa for the crust which comes from the Tibetan style of roasted flour, again traditional and healthy. Another interesting factor is that they use Juju Dhau (Yogurt from Bhaktapur) as a pie. The yogurt is hung to drain all the moisture out making the yogurt very creamy almost like cottage cheese. Chef’s kiss!